Public invited to comment on Disney movie ranch project

Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch, an 890-acre movie ranch, east of Interstate 14 in Placerita Canyon, is in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.

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If you go

- Public comment meeting on Golden Oak Ranch

- William S. Hart Park Hart Hall, 24151 Newhall Ave.

- Monday, 6 p.m.

Santa Clarita Valley residents interested in commenting on the proposed construction of sound stages and production facilities on Disney's Golden Oak Ranch are invited to a meeting Monday evening in Newhall.

Disney and ABC Studios edged closer to their goal of building six high-tech sound stages and production facilities on the west side of Golden Oak Ranch in Placerita Canyon with the release of a draft environmental impact report in May.

The public has 45 days to comment on the proposed project, with the comment period ending June 18.

The 890-acre movie ranch east of Interstate 14 off Placerita Canyon Road is in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County and has long been used for producing movies and television shows.

Disney and ABC Studios plan to add sound stages and production facilities on a 58-acre parcel on the western edge of the property.

The project includes up to 555,950 square feet of buildings with six sound-stage buildings with two stages each, six bungalows for actors and writers, production storage and offices, administration offices, production shops and other support facilities including utility buildings, according to a project fact sheet.

A 220-foot bridge spanning Placerita Creek would allow for access to the entire ranch. A two-million-gallon water tank would be built south of Placerita Canyon Road and a trail would be built to connect to existing trails within the Angeles National Forest, according to a notice from the county Department of Regional Planning.

The project would have a significant impact on local noise and air quality during the facility's construction, according to a Disney representative.

The project involves removing 158 of some 3,000 oak trees on the property, including 16 heritage oaks, and encroaching on 82 other oaks, according to the document.

The county requires at least 442 oak trees be planted as replacements, but Disney and ABC Studios are planning to plant 1,600 trees on the property.

Construction will bring an estimated 3,152 new jobs to the area during construction; 2.854 full- and part-time jobs would be created after the project is completed, according to company executives.

An estimated $533 million in annual economic activity throughout the county is expected to be generated when the project is operating fully.

After the comment period ends for the draft report, public comments will be addressed in the final report, which company executives said should be released in the fall.

If county officials approve the project, it would move into the design phase.